403 replies to this topic

[Allan]

Cheap apartments are available in downtown.  The problem is finding them.  They tend to be in smaller buildings, and information about them spreads by word of mouth.  A friend of mine lives in a loft downtown that costs only $300/month.  I considered moving into a loft on the 6th floor of that building, but I didn't want to have to deal with the parking fiasco.  

If you are looking at coming to Detroit in the fall, check out midtown.  Wayne State University is located there, so there are plenty of apartments in the area.  It's not far from downtown either.  

http://detroitmidtow...wnhousing.shtml

[DetroitBazaar]

Allan, on Jun 3 2005, 12:45 PM, said:

Cheap apartments are available in downtown.  The problem is finding them.  They tend to be in smaller buildings, and information about them spreads by word of mouth.  A friend of mine lives in a loft downtown that costs only $300/month.  I considered moving into a loft on the 6th floor of that building, but I didn't want to have to deal with the parking fiasco. 

If you are looking at coming to Detroit in the fall, check out midtown.  Wayne State University is located there, so there are plenty of apartments in the area.  It's not far from downtown either. 

http://detroitmidtow...wnhousing.shtml

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You may get a decent old place for about 550 or less in the Cass Corridor/Second toward Wayne State.  I've been looking.  Wouldn't mind getting some property to build on as well.

[DetroitBazaar]

Allan, on Jun 3 2005, 12:45 PM, said:

Cheap apartments are available in downtown.  The problem is finding them.  They tend to be in smaller buildings, and information about them spreads by word of mouth.  A friend of mine lives in a loft downtown that costs only $300/month.  I considered moving into a loft on the 6th floor of that building, but I didn't want to have to deal with the parking fiasco. 

If you are looking at coming to Detroit in the fall, check out midtown.  Wayne State University is located there, so there are plenty of apartments in the area.  It's not far from downtown either. 

http://detroitmidtow...wnhousing.shtml

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

300 dollars?  I'm there!  Might be nice if it's in good condition.

[DetroitBazaar]

Detroit_Luveur, on Jun 3 2005, 12:47 AM, said:

Retail depends on much more than the amount of residents within an area. Traffic and location is more important to a retailer. The demographic of their potential customers is also important. (One thing Detroit still has to conquer.)

Another thing, don't underestimate the power of the Super Bowl. Half of Downtown Houston was empty, with the exception of a drive-thru McDonald's and a drive-thru Bank-One, about a month before the 2004 Super Bowl. By the week before the game there was little to no vacancies.

There's going to be a lot of companies that will be more willing to test the water in Detroit, simply because of the Super Bowl. It gives them the impression that if the city can draw in these type of events, that business will be booming.

~my 2 cents.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

True, and I applaud the loft/condo development going on leading up to the Superbowl particularily along Woodward.  There are some really nice places indeed.  After the Superbowl though, the momentum needs to keep going.  I want to see the day when Detroit- a city of just under a million, approves as many housing permits as say, Canton- roughly 50,000 residents.  We need to have a consistent flow of folks aside from the ballgames.  I'd have to drive for miles to get the things I need on a daily basis- groceries, lumber, prescriptions.  The entertainment venues are flourishing and that is a major positive, but since there seems to be such pent up demand for housing, I guess I'm hoping things move a little more quickly so that when the Superbowl is over, people from outside of the downtown area keep flowing in to live and shop.  BTW, East Jefferson is a good place to be as well.

Peace to Detroit

[dnast]

I'm being nit-picky but being in Detroit the past couple of days, pharmacies aren't hard to come by, and I assume most people don't buy lumber often enough to need it within "biking distance".

That being said, I agree with keeping the momentum after the Super Bowl. I'm only hoping I'm right, but I believe the Super Bowl is serving as a deadline to get Phase I of the "City Core Redevelopment" done in a timely manner. I hadn't been there in months, but it's great to see the construction cranes and steel frames on Woodward. The little I saw of the "Car Tunes" were a nice touch.

I only assume it was an outisider saying this because of the wording, but I heard a yound lady saying, "This is an interesting city...", while driving by, that people are regaining interest in the once great city.

I only say "once great city" because I spent most of my time outside of downtown and Midtown. There's still a lot of work to do. I can't say that I will be one of those people that'll help bring Michigan's city back up to par, but while I'm here I will do what I can.

I hope there's some focus on the middle class that wants a nice looking, urban environment. There's so much potential there, but people seem to get caught up in "luxury" and affordable housing that there's a lot that Detroit is missing out on. The M-L and Statler are lost, so let's support what's still there and keep the momentum going.

[Michi]

mn_body_detroit_hrt, on Jun 3 2005, 11:57 AM, said:

If the city is really trying to get people to move down there, and why build all the lofts if they're not, I personally think that maybe a rental special or two would be in order.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You won't find rent specials downtown because rental properties are not struggling to attract tenants.  However, I received a special on my current Midtown apartment because the building I previously lived in is turning condominium.  My current complex is one of the few highrises in Midtown that is for rent, and management knew it could attract displaced people from my old place if they threw in an incentive.

[Michi]

The link that Allan provided is the best one for a housing search that I have come across.  It's pretty extensive.  For now, I would stay away from any property on Prentis and or 3rd Street.  Beautiful old buildings, but not the greatest internally...meaning there's some shady activity that you can get caught up in.

mn_body...what is your reason for moving to Detroit?  Are you originally from here?  I can help you find a place if you tell me a little about what your needs are.  Will you be in school, have a job, a partner/friend to share the rent, parking?

[mn_body_detroit_hrt]

Michi, on Jun 5 2005, 01:11 PM, said:

The link that Allan provided is the best one for a housing search that I have come across.  It's pretty extensive.  For now, I would stay away from any property on Prentis and or 3rd Street.  Beautiful old buildings, but not the greatest internally...meaning there's some shady activity that you can get caught up in.

mn_body...what is your reason for moving to Detroit?  Are you originally from here?  I can help you find a place if you tell me a little about what your needs are.  Will you be in school, have a job, a partner/friend to share the rent, parking?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My reason for coming to the “D”…pretty much is because it has become an obsession for me.  I am not from the area; however the degree that I am working towards is Urban Residential Restoration, meaning specifically, I would like to work with depressed inner-city neighborhoods to redevelop and rejuvenate without gentrification.  Detroit has more then enough residential decay going on right now to keep me happy for the rest of my days restoring and what not, but also I feel like this is a place that needs anyone with a positive outlook about the city.  It has an underdog feel that really makes me want to champion it...I know that may sound kinda lame, but I think that that city needs people who aren’t stuck with thoughts of segregation, riots, etc... I think there is a whole new generation of people out there (as evidenced in this thread actually) who are all about the city, smart building, green space...just general sustainability....this isn’t just a passing fancy, I see Detroit becoming a dense and wonderful urban space again, maybe in the next twenty years, I would like to look back eventually and know some how some way I helped.  

As for my living situation I am looking to do whatever I can.  I am going to be going to Wayne state for a semester and hopefully doing an internship and a part-time job.  I will need parking.  I will not need lots of space, but I would like to have an interesting area/apartment architecturally.  I don’t want to be to far from downtown or school, and I am not sure on the whole roomie thing...I am totally willing to have a roommate but a bit sketchy about just randomly living with someone I don’t know, you know?  I have the option of the dorms, but I am a bit older then the average student there and I am not sure if I want to bunk up with a bunch of 18 year olds (no offence to any 18 year olds out there)..

So that is my deal. I dont really know the areas very well so I'm not sure what is an ok neighborhood for me etc.

Thanks to all for the input, thanks for the link, that is awesome, Michi if you’re willing to give me some advice it would be VERY much appreciated.

[RiversideGator]

What is the status of the old Cadillac Hotel?

[Allan]

The Book-Cadillac renovation still does not have the financing gap filled.  It currently sits guarded while the developers (Ferchill Group) try to find other ways of bridging the gap.  Meanwhile, the hotel deteriorates more with each passing day.

[RiversideGator]

Well, I hope that goes forward soon.  My grandparents stayed there about 45 years ago and I would like to stay there in the future.

[Allan]

I am hopeful that they can pull it off.  It would be a huge blow to the city if they tore it down.  Detroit is loosing its urban density far too quickly.

[Michi]

I know it's something with the IRS, but what in God's name could it be??  There HAVE to be enough parties involved, enough diversity in interest to all pull together to get this thing done.  Too many people are invested to just let it fall though the cracks!  FOR THE LOVE OF DETROIT!

[Allan]

I thought the IRS ruled against them, so now they are searching for other sources of funding the gap.

[Michi]

Hearing Mr. Hagood and Mr. Kilpatrick speak leads one to believe that the Book Cadillac will be back on board with us in a very short time.  This notion was brought up month ago, though.  Well, we're still waiting.

I also had a representative from the DEGC come to talk to my class last semester about the BC.  He said that with two LARGE hotels downtown that are candidates for rehab, only one was "feasable".  We had to let the Statler go if we wented to bring back the BC...being that the BC was the more unique of the two.  If this is true then they BETTER deliver.

Edited by Michi, 08 June 2005 - 10:01 AM.

[Michi]

The title of this article had me scared for a second when I first saw it:

DETROIT'S DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT: An ill-kept secret rises

10-story office tower at Kennedy Square poses questions we answer
June 10, 2005

BY JOHN GALLAGHER
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER



In a city that trumpets every sign of economic revival, large or small, the silence surrounding the office tower going up in the heart of Detroit is little short of astonishing.


Construction for the One Kennedy Square project got under way this spring. There was no groundbreaking ceremony. No news release heralded the project, nor has Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's office, which could use something to crow about, said anything about it.


The reason behind the silence seems to be the reluctance of the developers, a Southfield-based real estate firm known as Redico, to get too far ahead of its own progress. Some observers have also suggested that Visteon Corp., which will occupy several floors in the tower, is sensitive just now to any publicity as the auto-parts supplier struggles to right itself financially.


Whatever the reason, it hard to ignore a tower going up just steps away from Woodward Avenue and Campus Martius Park. So here are some questions and answers on this new addition to Detroit's skyline:


What is it? Known as the One Kennedy Square building, the tower will be a multi-tenant office building rising 10 stories. Occupancy should begin in spring 2006.


Does downtown need another office tower? That's a hard question. Office vacancy rates downtown run at least 20%, and managers of rival office towers complain that the inducements granted Redico allow it to steal tenants.


Chuck Watters, vice president of Hines, the Houston-based partnership that owns the nearby One Detroit Center tower, is seeing one of his tenants, Ernst & Young, jump to One Kennedy Square.


"I don't think it's appropriate to apply renaissance zone entitlements to basically induce a tenant to move from one building downtown to another," Watters said. "Unless the owner owns both properties, it's not good development policy, because all it does is weaken the existing buildings downtown."


But Dale Watchowski, president and CEO of Redico, noted that all of Visteon's 600 staffers and about 100 of Ernst & Young's 450 people are transferring in from the suburbs.


"The renaissance zone did exactly what it was designed to do," he said.


Who owns the tower? The tower is 50% owned by the Build Fund, a Troy-based consortium of union pension funds. The fund bankrolls projects deemed to promote the union movement. The other half of the project is owned by Redico, which put the deal together.


What's it cost? Approximately $54 million.


Where's the money coming from? The Build Fund put up $15 million in equity. There's a $30-million construction loan from Charter One Bank; a $6-million loan from the Detroit Investment Fund, which is a corporate-backed fund, and a $3.2-million loan from the city's Downtown Development Authority.


Who will occupy it? About 600 of Visteon's information technology workers will be the lead tenants. The workers are on IBM's payroll but leased to Visteon on contract. Also, the Ernst & Young accounting firm will consolidate about 450 staffers from its Troy and Detroit offices in the new tower.


Is the project subsidized by the city? You bet. Like virtually all new projects in the city, the tower benefits from a range of inducements. Among them: The city gave the land to Redico for $1 and leased the city's underground Kennedy Square parking garage to the developer on favorable terms for use by the tower's tenants.


Redico also benefits from property tax breaks because the Campus Martius district was designated a renaissance zone years ago. Lower taxes allow Redico to offer reduced lease rates to lure tenants.


Who designed the tower? Southfield firm Neumann Smith & Associates. Ken Neumann, the founder and lead partner, gave One Kennedy Square an angular silhouette with a green-glass façade and a spire on top as an architectural focal point. The design will inject a shot of modernism into Detroit's mostly 1920s-era downtown.

[baldy]

Good article with some new information for me.

Quote

The city gave the land to Redico for $1

  
this is exactly what the city needs to for all of it's property to help in redevelopment becaue an empty lot does the city no good.

[Zissou]

I was suprised when I read about the land selling for 1 dollar.  You would think that the city would make that known to show their willingness to work with developers.  They really need to do that with all of their properties until it gets to the point where the city can demand market value for their properties.

[atperry]

Zissou, on Jun 10 2005, 09:04 AM, said:

I was suprised when I read about the land selling for 1 dollar.  You would think that the city would make that known to show their willingness to work with developers.  They really need to do that with all of their properties until it gets to the point where the city can demand market value for their properties.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The problem is the city does not own some of the most valuable land.  Those parking lots on the way from Greektown to the stadiums need to be zoned out or something.

[Zissou]

Anyone know exactly how eminent domain works?  I know in the past the city has used it to get land and force projects.  I was wondering if this could be used to take away neglected property from owners and give it to the city?